To: Dr.

Wynne
From: Jalynn Clancy, Brittany Key, Cameron Austin, Kameryn Trussell, Kemoni Whyte
Date: April 6, 2017
Subject: PSA Memo
Mass incarceration is an encroachment on the liberties and lives of millions of Americans.It lacks
an official solution, or effective systematic plan to put an end to it; and it is quickly losing
attention due to the emergence of many other social issues. Although activism for one cause does
not detract from the importance of other causes, our PSA is created to remind America that mass
incarceration is still a major social injustice; and it will continue to be one as long as we allow it
to. This PSA serves the purpose of encouraging the audience to take a closer look at the judicial
system and its lasting effect on the lives it touches. Social activism is becoming increasingly
popular throughout the younger American generations, which creates the perfect opportunity to
raise awareness for this cause.

Knowing that activism has become crucial in today's society, we catered the PSA to attract the
attention of todays young adults. We chose this audience because they are the ones with the most
passion and greatest ability to change the world. In order to grasp their attention, the PSA begins
with the American flag, which is symbolic of pride and unity. This is arguably the most important
shot in the film because not only is the flag in black and white, but it is not waving. This is
symbolic of the struggles that America is currently facing, and may continue to face if its citizens
stay silent. The PSA also features the faces of young adults, and they are also in black and white
throughout most of the commercial. The use of black and white is representative of the
oppression faced by millions of young minority members; while the use of color represents the
freedom that can be obtained through protest and reform. Finally, the PSA includes the song
Freedom by award winning artist Beyonc Knowles and Kendrick Lamar, as well as several
facts about mass incarceration and its consequences. The use of popular music, logical appeal,
and familiar faces, should cause the audience to question the morality of Americas judicial
system.

Working to find the most effective strategy for conveying a message of activism, was difficult.
After we created our strategy and concept, we assigned roles and split up the responsibilities of
the project. We struggled to decipher the relevance of certain facts, find participants for the PSA,
and manage a few technical difficulties. But, the most challenging part of the PSA was the time
restriction. Fortunately, we were able to meet all of the requirements of the PSA and obtained our
facts from prisonpolicy.org. Although this project was difficult, we have worked to make this
public service announcement as effective as possible.

Link: https://youtu.be/p0DsUgl6LlM